Liu Haisu

Appraisal and Market Value of Liu Haisu

Liu Haisu was born in 1896 in China and became one of the leading figures in the modernization of Chinese art in the 20th century. From a very young age, he showed an interest in painting and new artistic forms from the West. In 1912, he co-founded the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts in Shanghai, one of the first Chinese schools to incorporate the teaching of modern art, academic drawing, and Western painting. His role as an educator was essential in training a new generation of Chinese artists. 

Liu Haisu traveled to Japan in 1919, where he discovered the modern European art movements that had already spread throughout Asia. He then undertook several trips to Europe; between 1929 and 1931, he made his first major study tour of Europe, spending time notably in Paris, then the world capital of the artistic avant-garde. There, he frequented art salons, museums, and contemporary artists, and in 1931 organized a solo exhibition at the Kleinmann Gallery. During this period, he maintained close ties with his former students, including Liu Kang and Chen Jen Hao, who also contributed to the spread of modern art in Southeast Asia. 

During his second stay in Europe, from 1933 to 1935, Liu Haisu returned to Paris and organized a major traveling exhibition of Chinese art in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Through his lectures and exhibitions, he sought to promote traditional Chinese painting while championing a modern and open-minded vision of art. These European experiences profoundly influenced his style; he gradually moved away from academic realism to embrace a freer, more emotional, and more personal form of expression. 

In the 1940s, Liu traveled to Singapore and several countries in Southeast Asia, where he forged ties with local artists. His work thus became a true bridge between Chinese traditions and modern Western influences. Until his death in 1994, he remained a respected figure in modern Chinese painting and an advocate for artistic dialogue between the East and the West.

How can you recognize a work by Liu Haisu?  

Liu Haisu’s works are recognizable by their fusion of Chinese tradition and influences from modern Western painting. He often uses ink and classical Chinese techniques, but with a freedom of movement and expressiveness inspired by European Post-Impressionism and Fauvism. His mountain landscapes, pine trees, lotus flowers, and natural scenes feature vivid colors, energetic brushstrokes, and dynamic composition. Unlike highly codified traditional Chinese painting, Liu prioritizes emotion, movement, and personal expression. His works frequently include calligraphic inscriptions and red Chinese seals, combined with a bold color palette and a thicker paint application than in classical painting. The influence of his travels in Europe is also evident in his treatment of light, perspective, and color contrasts.   

Liu Haisu on the Art Market: The Artist’s Market Value  

Large-format ink paintings and landscapes regularly fetch tens of thousands of euros at auction, while some major works have exceeded several hundred thousand euros, with the artist’s ten most significant works fetching up to several million euros.